(a) Field
The present invention relates to a lawn mower. More particularly, the invention concerns a lawn mower of a type provided with means for collecting the grass clippings produced during cutting.
(b) Related Art
It is known that, since grass grows in a fast and disordered manner, a periodic maintenance of the lawns is required.
If on the one hand the maintenance of motorway greens and of public or house gardens is substantially dictated by aesthetic requirements, on the other hand the maintenance of lawns such as those of golf courses, stadiums and sports grounds is in general dictated by functional requirements. Indeed, it is clear that a carefully maintained lawn is an essential requirement to allow sportsmen to perform at their best.
For lawn mowing, mowers having a grass-cutting unit are known.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,006 discloses a riding lawn mower comprising a cutting unit in its front part and a turbine for sucking grass clippings, which are sent through an upward conduit into a tiltable catcher located in the rear part of the mower.
The mower of the described kind is rather bulky and difficult to be manoeuvred. Further, it does not, allow discharging grass onto a raised plane such as the bin of a truck or a trailer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,882 discloses a law mower comprising a bearing frame, a grass cutting unit, means for taking the grass clippings, a catcher for collecting the grass clippings, a duct for conveying the grass clippings from the taking means to the container and a second frame arranged between the catcher and the bearing frame. The second frame is hinged to the bearing frame so that the catcher presents a first working configuration in which the catcher is lowered and an emptying configuration in which the catcher is raised with respect to the bearing frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,231 describes a device to be attached to a commercial law mower. The device generally includes a debris chute which attaches to the law mower at its debris outlet, a gasoline-motor-driven mechanical blower and a debris collection receptacle. First and second sections of flexible tubing are utilized to respectively attach the chute and blower, and the blower and collection receptacle.
FR 2746253 discloses a folder for a law mower, said folder consisting of a lower section, the primary end of which is connected to the body of the mower, and of an upper section, the primary end of which is connected to the other end of the lower. A lifting jack operates the folder between a lower position, where the linkage is folded and the upper and lower sections are close together, and an upper position, where the sections are elongated and separated from each other. A second jack is added to control a tipping arm to pivot a grass box.
DE 4129640 describes a mobile trailer having two independent trailing wheels rotating and swiveling about separate vertical stub axles mounted on a horizontal transverse bar attached to the chassis. The collecting receptacle is mounted on two parallel guides in which it is raised for emptying or lowered for collecting.
Non-riding lawn mowers are also known, such as those manufactured and sold by the Applicant, which can be connected to a tractor and comprise a cutting unit equipped with multiple blades or knives distributed across the mower width. Thus, at each tractor passage, a significant lawn area is mowed.
However, in lawn mowers of that kind the grass clippings remain on the lawn and are not collected. Clearly, such mowing is not aesthetically satisfactory and it does not allow optimum performance of a sports activity.